Bone Diggers - Chapter Twenty Five

Loading... Chapter Twenty Five

"Daniel darling, wake up." Amilia's voice formed before anything else in the darkness. "I'm here now."

In a blur, the world shifted until he felt he was sitting up. Daniel blinked roughly as Amilia's face swam in his vision. It took another second and the touch of her hand to convince him she was really there. "How did you—you shouldn't have come back."

"Can't the 'damsel' save someone every once in a while?" Her expression knitted together with annoyance, but it softened as she spotted the dried blood on his mouth and a bruise across his nose.

"That's not what I meant," Daniel said gently.

His tone caused Amilia to pause as she tried to read his expression. She shook her head, trying to clear the whole topic away. "No one has faith until you see them do wondrous things. The more downtrodden you are, the less everyone believes in you," Amilia said, with attention turned towards the lock.

Daniel just stared down at her while she fiddled with it, her hands and long hair covering what she was doing. "I'm sorry," he breathed out. For what, exactly, he wasn't sure. For her risking herself for him? For mistakenly treating her differently? Because others did? Maybe for the pain he saw in her, but still didn't understand.

"You can't pick the lock," Daniel said, in poor replacement.

Amilia looked up from what she was doing with a rare smirk. "No one ever expects the lady to be a thief either." She lifted a ring of keys, and gave them a little shake.

"Bello." Daniel smiled. He watched her face she diligently worked her way through the keys. He felt the weight of the chains fall away, heard them clang against the ground before he looked down at his bare hands.

"Come on, let's go." Amilia moved towards the door ready to finish their daring rescue without any lost time.

"Wait," Daniel called. She stopped and curiously looked over. He pulled himself up to his feet, taking another second to stare at the chains before meeting her eyes. "I just...am having a hard time believing you are here. Already, I mean."

Amilia rolled her eyes. "It's been half a day. What did you think I was going to do? Sit around and do nothing while you took a nap?"

Daniel laughed, even though he was really laughing at himself. "You're remarkable."

"Yeah, I'm starting to see that." Amilia opened the door and looked both ways down the hallway. The guards were missing from the post, and the question of where they went was starting to press on Daniel.

Shock continued to weigh on him as they ventured into an empty hallway. "Amilia," Daniel said softly, as if the question was too much to bear. "How did you pull this off?"

"Hmm?" She was leaning against another door listening for the sounds of people inside. Amilia turned to Daniel as he waited for an answer. She looked away for a second. "I told them I didn't want to go home. That my place was with the knights. And once in, I lured the guards away from the door."

"You lied." Daniel wasn't sure if that was a question or a statement.

Amilia seemed to regard it as the latter, and smiled. "Bard training comes in handy for that." She wiped her hands on her dress, unsure which and what exit to use. "Are you good to fight?"

Daniel felt around for his weapons, which turned up missing. Figures. Something always happened if you don't rest safely. "It would be better if we could avoid a fight." He looked around the hall, spotting a large window that dropped a short distance to a lower level of the roof. "Are you up for running across buildings?"

She pressed her lips together considering it. "If you lead, I should be fine."

Daniel walked to the edge and glanced down to an angled side. He jumped down and slid to a lower level, running until his momentum ran out before he turned around to Amilia.

She had nervously stopped at the edge, staring at the jump like it was impossible.

"You got this," Daniel said.

Amilia looked up to the sky as if saying a prayer, then took the plunge. A roof tile gave way after she removed her foot from it. It followed her down to the next level, and shattered behind her.

Daniel smiled, as Amilia was too busy imagining if she had been that tile. He waited until she looked for further direction before running across the nearby roofs, gaining more distance between them and the knights.

They jumped down to the ground sooner than he would have liked, but the maze of streets was worth the risk. The crowd offered an opportunity to blend until the chance to steal horses presented itself. Then they rode until it grew dim, giving the horses and themselves a break.

Daniel ran a hand through his hair as he glanced back at the city. Its skyline was darkly set against the evening sky. "I wish I could have grabbed my weapons, or anything I left at the inn," Daniel said. His carriage was likely gone, if not seized, making the trip back likely slower and rougher.

"I managed to bring this," Amilia said. She pulled out the book he had lifted from the library from her bag. "Since everyone thought I was packing to go home, I had time to gather a few things. I would have taken more, but I worried it would give the ruse away."

Daniel took the book, and hugged it to his chest. Maybe it was just his desire to connect the pieces, form a theory that made the trouble all worthwhile, but this book was hope. "Thank you."

"You're..." Amilia started, but the words failed her. She sighed, despite the light smile on her face. "Something else. Just, please, never offer to do something like that again. I already owe you—"

"You don't owe me," Daniel interrupted.

Amilia sighed. Her hands moved to the reins as if she wanted to get moving again.

"I'd do it again," he continued, "For you, I mean. What is the point in fighting for a bigger cause if you can't protect the ones you care for?"

"Daniel," she said, nearing a whisper. The reins fell from her hands as she moved closer. Amilia stood toe to toe with him, her head down as she chewed on her lip. She must have figured something out, because when she looked up, her eyes were glossy. "I love you, so please."

His hand reached up, ready to wipe a tear away if needed, but paused at those words. "I, uh," he stumbled, stomach knotting with each utterance. Daniel wished he could pause time for a moment to digest this. Instead of standing there awkwardly, he pulled her into a hug. "I love you too." The words repeated back seemed so casual. "I think I always have."

Some moments in life just happen. A person thinks they can go back, pinpoint the first moment, but time jumbles itself up. It ties together in strange patterns, making it impossible to pull out a single moment without tugging on the whole thing.

"Let's go home," Daniel finished. "It's been a long vacation."

***

The TV prattled on as Owen laid on the couch half-watching. Between work and the game, he hadn't slept much over the past few days. His eyes were weighed down with hopes of sleep, but it hadn't quite found him yet. There had been a football game on, but he hadn't even noticed which teams were playing before he abandoned the channel surfing.

"It's these so-called bone diggers." The harsh words made Owen twitch in a half-formed dream. "Leeches. Spies. Privacy thieves is what they are. Are the actions of a man at home no longer safe?"

The man's tone stirred Owen from his attempt at sleep. He pulled his eyes open to see a balding white man with an old radio-style microphone in front of him. From the way he talked about games, he hardly seemed in favor.

"Join me anytime someone tries to take away your rights, anytime someone tries to pry into what you do behind closed doors. These bone diggers are a menace that someone needs to stop. "

Owen sat up, and hit the power button on the remote as fast as he could. Silence filled the room, and slowly built up an illusion of safety in his own home. He glanced around, feeling unsettled until he found his phone. Two text messages were waiting for him, both from Andreah. One was from a reply earlier today about coming over, and the newest one was asking if now was good. The time stamp showed that he missed that one by nearly an hour.

To Andreah:

Yeah, now's fine

Owen took a quick shower and was pulling on a hoodie with nothing underneath when he heard the buzz of a guest, and the intercom cracking Andreah's voice in a way it never did in person. A couple minutes later, he welcomed her inside.

"I was starting to wonder if I'd see you tonight at all." Andreah tossed her bag onto the couch before she slumped down in the seat herself. "I only have this movie for a day. You could have ruined all of my plans."

He rolled his eyes as he sat down close. "Oh man, I could have cost you a whole dollar for the rental."

"That's what I'm saying." Andreah ran her hand through the back of Owen's hair. He closed his eyes as her fingers ran from the base of one ear to the top of the other. "You aren't going to fall asleep on me, are you?"

While the smirk didn't make it to his lips, the humor was clear as he looked over. He reached his arm across the back of the couch. "Eh. Only if the movie is bad."

Andreah laughed as she reached over to grab her purse. "Fair enough." She pulled out the movie without any digging required and got up to put it in the player.

The movie wasn't the greatest, but wasn't so bad that it warranted falling asleep on. Andreah flipped through the menu looking for special features. "Stupid rental copies withholding the good stuff like commentary tracks and bloopers.

"Since when are director commentaries on par with gag reels?"

"Uh, since always?" Andreah tilted in her seat to shoot him a look before she stood up. "I like listening to the directors, or actors, talk shit on each other. Only then do I feel like I know the whole story." She waved a hand in a silent whatever. "Do you want a beer? Because I do."

"No, but help yourself." He watched as Andreah headed into the kitchen before noticing that his phone was blinking with a new alert. Such are the perils of silencing your device.

To Owen:

We could use your help for a raid. You busy?

Owen's eyes lifted from the phone just enough to watch Andreah as she sat down at his computer with an open beer bottle. She tapped on the keyboard to wake the computer up before glancing over to the movie's menu. "Alright, I'll admit, it didn't live up to the reviews."

"This is why I don't trust movie reviewers."

"Cut me some slack, it wasn't just some guy. Here, I'll show you." Andreah swirled the chair back to pull up the website.

"I believe you," Owen laughed. "I really do."

Andreah stuck her tongue out at him. Instead of pulling up the site mentioned, she made a detour to Twitter.

"Actually," Owen started, scratching the back of his head. "Charlie needs my help with a raid. It shouldn't take long. Do you mind?"

"Oh. Yeah, no, that's cool."

Owen's raised a brow. "You sure? I don't have to."

"I'm sure. Go ahead and help them. I shall watch and see if your skills are as great as you claim."

He got up to grab his headset off the side table, and paused before sitting down or putting it on. "Which screen did you want it to stream to?"

"The TV is fine," Andreah said. "That way if you suck I can still internet."

"Ye of little faith," he replied, without much care.

***

The raid had already started, which made joining a lot like stepping into a bar fight. It's hard to tell who started it, or even why. One just hoped to find their friends between the blows. Being a public event meant he could join the in-progress guild mission. The penalty was, he didn't have a chance to pick up new weapons after returning to the city.

Daniel took a quick step back, avoiding the point of a Spanish halberd. He looked over the shoulder of the soldier, seeing the main target with three other officers serving as a protective escort.

To the left, just over his shoulder, he found Lance. The guild was out-numbered, so if he was going to crash this raid, he should start it strong. Lance gripped the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it.

"Now," Daniel called, dropping down to one knee, and ducking his head.

Lance swiftly unsheathed his sword, and swung it through into a horizontal slash in one fluid motion. The Spanish officer blocked, catching the blade in the crook of his halberd. Daniel drew a knife off Lance's belt, and sunk it into the officer's gut. The officer fell back lifelessly onto the ground before breaking into polygons that dissolved into nothing.

Another officer broke off from Lucas, who had been fighting alongside them a short distance away. The officer readied their sword for a renewed assault. Being weaponless again wasn't the best fighting position, and Daniel stumbled back, falling on his ass as the knight's sword came down. He quickly spread his knees, watching as the blade crashed into cobblestone ground. Lance slashed a guard across the chest and clashed a sword against his. Daniel sprung up in the space Lance bought for him.

A knight's halberd passed just to Daniel's left, narrowly skimming over his arm. The near miss allowed him inside of the knight's defense, making it easy to grab the shaft of the halberd. Thrown off, the guard fought for control of it, but little did it matter as Daniel disarmed him. He swung it around, plunging the blade into the right side of the knight's abdomen before dragging it across to the left. The body did not even drop before breaking into shards of light.

Daniel looked to Lance, who was in the middle of combat against two swordsmen, then over at Lucas, who had been chasing down the main target as he tried to make an escape. There was no time to make a decision, so Daniel went with his instinct.

Lance delivered a kick to the gut of one of his foes before slashing at the other. Both backed away, one fatally into the range of Daniel's stolen weapon. Lance shifted his focus to the remaining swordsman, and waited for the chance to counter. The player lashed out with his sword. Lance dodged to his left, narrowly avoiding the blade. The guard tried to compensate with a slash. Lance took a cue from before and dropped down, letting the blade pass over, before running through with his dagger.

The player didn't seem ready to give up the ghost as his body lie with the hilt of the knife sticking out. "We need to get back to Lucas," Daniel ordered, and took the weapon for himself.

Lance nodded, and the two took off in that direction.

Lucas grappled with a man on the ground. The guard had knocked a bag of gold, gems, and things likely far more valuable out of their hand. The loot drop sat just out of reach of the fighting.

Daniel could have gone for the prize, but it seemed like a cruel thing to do when someone called him for help. Lucas managed to get on top of the guard and pinned one of his hands down, but the advantage was short lived before they had to roll off.

A blade came flying in, finding its mark in the guard's heart. Lucas looked over, finding Daniel standing there with a grin on his face and an arm still extended from throwing the knife.

More men joined the fray, and it wasn't clear from their armor if both sides had called for backup, or if vultures wanted to steal the prize at the finish line. Lucas scampered to they feet and grabbed the loot. They took a nervous step backward, and Daniel and Lance fell in as added protection.

"Who else is here?" Daniel asked.

"Abel is somewhere," Lucas said.

"Secure the intel," Lance added. "We got this."

A questioning look found Daniel, but when he didn't object, Lucas bolted as directed.

They returned to the fray, catching a guard down an alley who soon hit a dead end. The heavy armor he wore limited the options until only fighting back remained. After drawing a sword, he motioned for them to approach.

Lance went in for a strike, but the officer countered with his own attack, throwing Lance off balance. Daniel leaped forward attempting to keep the officer from taking advantage of Lance's stumble. The guard dodged back, avoiding the swipe of Daniel's knife.

Swifter than expected, the guard recovered and drove a knee into Daniel's gut. His body locked up as the air left his lungs. He retreated a few steps, bent over with his hands on his knees in an effort to stay standing.

Lance moved to Daniel, who was only letting exhausted breaths escape his lips.

"Hell of a welcome home, aye?" Lance said, grinning as he offered a hand to steady him.

Daniel lifted his head and found himself smiling as he righted himself. "I've had better."

"We could use Amilia right now," Lance said, readying himself for the remaining battle. An arrow came flying in and pierced the guard's shoulder. Staggered, the guard moved further away.

Lance turned, more startled by the help than pleased to see it. Abel stormed closer as he plucked another arrow from his quiver. Another arrow whizzed by the pair, this time diving into the officer's unprotected thigh. A third arrow punctured the right side of his chest in between the plates.

A smirk draped across Abel's face. "Where is the girlfriend?" he asked. The guard was trying to right himself but was coughing blood, giving time to taunt further. Abel turned to Lance, pretending he hadn't seen him. "Ah, brought the boyfriend today."

The silent glares both Daniel and Lance shot at him were ignored as Abel placed one hand on the guard's shoulder, finishing him and the public event.

***

Owen hadn't realized it until he took off his headset, but Andreah had gathered her things and was headed for the door. "Whoa, slow down, Hermes. Where are you going?"

Andreah opted for her phone rather than looking him in the eye. "Uh, I gotta go. Sorry," she said, tapping on the screen as if it was all right there.

"I thought, uh, you were going to stay the night?" Owen leaned against the wall near her, glancing down at her phone for a moment before looking at her face again.

"Well, there's the emergency," she said, locking her phone and stuffing it away. "One of the newbies ended up getting in a bad accident. I need to cover for 'em."

He could feel the tremble in her nervous lie, her mind too filled with whatever else to come up with a good excuse. But he couldn't bring himself to call her out on it. "Oh. Okay. Stay safe."

Andreah gave him a short nod, but before she could turn away Owen reached out to touch her hand. She rocked towards him for just a moment before grabbing the handle of the door again, and snapped out of it before anything else could be said.

The shock of it all rolled in when he heard the elevator ding down the hall. What happened? Did she get freaked out over something on her phone? Did he misread something? He should have asked her all these questions before she left, but the lump in his throat when she had avoided looking at him forced his silence. She obviously hadn't wanted him to ask, and he had nowhere to even begin to understand why.